Marked by Darkness
by Clapton
Summary: The outcome of Sirius and Peter's confrontation after the death of Lily and James results in the truth coming out and Sirius avoiding Azkaban. He takes Harry to live with him at 12 Grimmauld Place. Au
1. Confrontation

"Sirius, p-please give me a chance. I-I had no choice! He would have killed me; I had to give him what he wanted". _Cowardly rat! He disgraces the name of Godric Gryffindor for every minute that he lives._ It had been a long time since Sirius Black had experienced the rage he felt this minute; staring into the eyes of the man he had once affectionately called Wormtail, the bond between friends shattered and replaced with a furious desire to end Peter Pettigrew. "Then you should have died with honour and courage, rather than slink to the shadows and betray James to Voldemort. Prongs is dead because you! Lily is dead because of YOU!" Sirius bellowed without restraint, maniacal in his fury. All thoughts of self preservation were forgotten as he lurched towards his quarry, who shrunk under the hateful glare of his former friend. "There is nothing in this world that can save you from me Peter", Sirius voice barely restrained the fury and loathing in his heart; a scar that would never truly fade. He had lost the one person who had treated him as an equal and as a friend, James Potter and Sirius Black would never be united in this life again. The pain and the agony manifested in his mind and threatened to overwhelm him; only the thought of revenge stopped Sirius from breaking down and giving in to his grief. He couldn't help but feel responsible for the turn of events; it had been at his own suggestion that the Potters change Secret Keepers. In hindsight, it had seemed flawless. The bond between Sirius and James was well known in the Order and the Ministry, and it was an eventuality that the Death Eaters would target Sirius to try and get to the Potters. He would have gladly died for his best friend; he would have held that secret to his dying breath, no matter the pain and agony that Voldemort could inflict on him. The idea came to him shortly after it was made clear that the Death Eaters were targeting the Potters and the Longbottoms, though none in the Order knew why. Sirius had assumed that their pivotal role in the War meant that Voldemort considered them a threat. It was because of this that Sirius suggested a different Secret Keeper; one that even the Order wouldn't have suspected.

Sirius' grief would have to come later; right now he had a Death Eater to deal with. "We can't beat him Sirius. You of all people should know that the Dark Lord has no equal. Not even Dumbledore can defeat him", Peters pleading snapped him back to reality, and a primal snarl cut the words short. "COWARD! Your desire to save your own worthless life has blinded you Peter. Do all the years of happy memories mean nothing to you? James Potter was the best friend you could have ever asked for, but in your greed and fear you've lost everything", Sirius was on the verge of breaking down in uncontrollable rage and grief. The sight of the man before him brought thoughts incredible malice to the surface of his mind; thoughts which manifested as black vapour pouring from the tip of his wand. Peter gasped at the sight, his own wand clutched in fear. _Peter never was a good duelist, this is almost unfair._ The thought comforted Sirius, knowing that his revenge would come swiftly and easily. "Your fear and your betrayal has cost you more than you realise Peter". _It had cost them all,_ he thought bitterly. Making Peter the Secret Keeper of Godric's Hollow backfired, and it has cost them the lives of the Potters. Word had come, that Voldemort's inner circle laid siege to Godric's Hollow for 3 hours. To their credit, James and Lily fought the Death Eaters to a standstill, broken only when Voldemort himself razed the house. Sirius didn't know the details, only that James and Lily had fallen, that a number of Death Eaters fell with them, and that little Harry had somehow survived the Killing Curse. That was the one thing that willed Sirius to live, the legacy of the Potters fell to Harry, his godson. "Padfoot, please you must listen to reason. The Dark Lord is the only hope of our world, lest the muggles rise up and exterminate us", Peter's rant would do him no good. Sirius Black marched forward, eyes only for his intended victim. "Prongs would want you to live! To serve the Dark Lord with me and to take our rightful place in this world". Peter's words stopped him dead. Fury erupted from the young wizard, waves of cascading black vapour emanating in all directions. His muscles were tensed as he unleashed a wild howl, which finally attracted the attention of the muggles nearby. "HOW DARE YOU USE THAT NAME! Prongs was your friend Peter, he was like a brother to us, and you traded his life for yours without hesitation!" Even as he advanced on the cornered rate, waves of black vapour obscured the wizards as Sirius' rage took control. "You might be safe from Voldemort, but he's not the one you should have feared Peter", Sirius' wand flashed in the air and sent a beam of red energy streaking towards Peter. The sheer power of the emotionally charged Stunner dissipated the black fog around the two, which struck the Death Eater on the shoulder. Crumpling to his knees, Sirius' stunner was followed by a thunderous crack and the terrified screams of muggles. Casting a glance over his shoulder, Sirius could make out only the obscured bodies of broken men and women, their bodies twisted at gruesome angles. Debris rained down upon them as the dust cleared, revealing a massive rupture in the street. Turning his attention back to Peter, Sirius glanced at his enemies' wand and was shocked to see magical residue emanating from it.

"Peter, what did you do?!" Sirius' confusion was understandable. Of all the Marauders, Peter Pettigrew was obviously the weakest amongst them. It had never been a topic of discussion within the quartet, but even to Peter it was painfully obvious. Sirius and James had been told many times by their teachers that they'd make powerful aurors, if only they could refrain from their childish pranks. Justifiably, Sirius couldn't quite understand how Peter had managed to cast a spell of such raw power; especially when he wasn't quite sure if even Voldemort's Inner Circle could manage to control such magical power. "The Dark Lord is generous to those who serve him faithfully. A little ritual, nothing too extreme, he gave me a power that the Light know nothing of", Peter's voice unnaturally calm. His wand held out in front of him, Pettigrew moved a quickness that caught Sirius by surprise; he didn't have time to react before the curse exploded at his feet, sending him into the air and crashing down hard on the pavement. _Maybe this won't be as easy as I thought it would be_ , the thought both frightened and excited Sirius. The screams of the muggles brought his attention back to his foe, who was casually strolling towards Sirius with purposeful intent. "Another demonstration, perhaps, of the unrivaled power of the Dark Lord", even as he spoke Peters wand waved in a series of complex movements. All at once, a harsh icy wind swept across the street and dark green strands of energy impacted on the bodies of the murdered muggles. The energy smothered the bodies, and Sirius could see the muscles flex as the spell took hold. _No, surely he wouldn't create them! He can't possibly have enough raw power to do this!,_ fear gripped Sirius' heart in a way that he hadn't felt since the night he fled the Inner Circle. "Peter stop this! You are committing crimes against nature by doing this, you don't know the risks of what you're doing!". Despite the unending hatred that he felt towards Peter, Sirius couldn't allow his former friend to succeed. "You aren't strong enough to control them".

A harsh cackle erupted from the lips of the Death Eater. "What's wrong Padfoot? Am I not the weak, helpless fool that you thought me to be? The Dark Lord has gifted me beyond all others, for delivering his enemies to him. Allow me to show you true power", Peters wand flicked once and the tendrils of green energy pulsed before fading. The bodies of the fallen muggles throbbed with energy from the spell, the corpses rising from the ground silently, their movements jerky and unbalanced. "Not even Bellatrix has the power to do what I just did Sirius! I am truly the Dark Lord's most trusted, his most powerful follower", Peter sneered at Sirius, his eyes shining with excitement and surging with power. "You should have joined me Sirius…", at once the Inferi lurched towards him, silent and lifeless. Sustained by the magic of their creator, Sirius' barrage of spells had little effect on the risen corpses as they edged ever closer, expressionless and blank; urged forward by their master. Peter was content to let his new creations kill Sirius for him; a perk of having his own minions. Sirius' fatigue was rapidly catching up to him as he fired spell after spell at the hoard of corpses. _I can't do this forever. Blast! James would know how to stop these damn things._ Even Sirius had to admit that his time might be closing in. _Is it my turn now? Not without taking Peter with me._ Summoning the last of his energy to the surface, with immense effort he apparated with a loud crack. "And he called me a coward...Sirius was a fool to reject the Dark Lord's gifts", Peter spoke quietly to himself. In his gloating, he never noticed the young wizard appear behind him, and could only turn in disbelief as a cry of 'Sectumsempra' erupted and the curse took effect. Peter's wand hand exploded in a rain of gore, the emotionally charged curse obliterating his hand. Chunks of flesh scattered at his feet, Peter could only stare in horror at the remains of his hand. Sirius' wand slipped from his own hand as fatigue threatened to consume him, and he fell to his knees, unable to support his own weight. Peter's cries of pain and shock muted to him, Sirius' attention diverted to the resurrected corpses that slowly lumbered toward them. _I don't have the energy to apparate away. James...i failed you my friend. I am so sorry…_ Hot, wet tears spilled down his face; his fate accepted. _Torn apart by Inferi, who could have seen THAT coming?_ The bitter thoughts gave him some peace of mind, knowing that, at least, his death was interesting. He closed his eyes and waited…

"A loud cry broken Sirius' trance, and he opened his eyes to the sight of Peter Pettigrew cowering before the horde of corpses that he himself had created. _He couldn't control the magic!_ , the thought empowered Sirius. Dumbledore, as leader of the Order, took it upon himself to explain to his followers why Dark magic should not be used. Above all else, Sirius had learnt that Dark magic took a lot of power and control, and should either one be lacking, the end result could be disastrous for the caster. Such was the case with Peter's Inferi, which were closing in around the Death Eater. Grasping for his wand, Sirius winced at the sounds of Peter's crying abruptly silenced. Without a master, the Inferi were free to direct their ire onto whatever they happened across, and even as they tore him apart, Sirius felt no regret towards his former friend. _Even this is too good for you Peter…_ The inferi took little time to dismember Peter; with their target now silent their attention was drawn to Sirius. Stumbling towards him, the wizard clutched his wand and willed himself to apparate, but found himself without the energy needed. Even now darkness threatened to take him; in his exhaustion he would pass out before the inferi could set upon him. His last frantic thoughts took him back to little Harry. _A part of James and Lily lives_ , Sirius told himself, the thought comforting to him. He would see James again soon…

As he surrendered himself to unconsciousness, Sirius thought he heard the sound of wizards apparating. A gentle warmness closed in around him, a smile etched on his face as the sound of Harry's laughter echoed in his mind.


	2. Prior Incantato

"Albus this is a very dangerous situation, surely you agree with me that we can't allow the public to know that he's here", Cornelius Fudge's word echoed across the ward, and despite himself he allowed his voice to rise by several octaves as he argued with the man before him. Albus Dumbledore was widely regarded as the greatest living Wizard; his defeat of Grindelwald had made him a legend across the wizarding world. Yet for all his power and wisdom, Fudge thought him to be incredible naïve. "My dear friend, I am fully aware of the risks involved with Mr Blacks tenure here, but to deny him medical help when he clearly needs it would put us at the same level as Voldemort himself", Dumbledore's voice was gentle but fire, and despite the calmness to his words Fudge couldn't suppress a wince at the name. "Sirius was found amidst a swarm of Inferi, conjured from the muggle victims of the duel. Until he awakes, it would be wrong to deny him this hospitality. St Mungo's is the safest place for him right now", Dumbledore's logic made sense to the junior minister, and yet he couldn't deny to himself that he was nervous around Sirius Black. He was nervous around Dark magic in general; not that anyone could blame him. In the war against Voldemort and his Death Eaters had taken its toll; Fudge estimated the death count to be somewhere in the hundreds. The dark wizards had no regard for muggle life, and Fudge had been on the scene just moments after these attacks, and he had struggled with the scenes ever since.

"The evidence is clear Albus, we found Sirius Black with the body of young Peter Pettigrew, torn to shreds, in the middle of a muggle street. He created Inferi for Merlins sake!" Fudge was afraid, and Dumbledore knew that. Fudge never dealt well with dark magic, it paralyzed him with fear and controlled him. Secretly, he thought very little of the junior minister, although others around him praised Fudge as a brilliant wizard. "The only course of action we can take here is to send him straight to Azkaban. We can't run the risk of another massacre", Fudge pleaded, desperate to stop the threat that Sirius held. "You may be right. The Minister for Magic will be here soon", Dumbledore pulled his wand from his robes and muttered 'Rennervate'. All at once, Sirius' eyelids fluttered open and met the piercing blue of Albus Dumbledore. For a brief moment Sirius struggled against the ropes that bound him, and he reached for his wand only to find it missing from within his robes. Finding no possible escape, he contented himself by staring into the eyes of Dumbledore, searching for a sign of trust. For his part, Fudge nervously stood behind him, a fearful look on his face as he stared toward the revived wizard. "James…Lily…Peter sold them out…He killed them Albus", Sirius' rage had evaporated, his bloodlust and desire for revenge burned out after the fight. Now he wanted nothing more than to see his friends again; to see James and Lily just one more time. No tears came from his eyes, but a piercing howl as his mind replayed his mistake over and over again. _The Death Eaters will come for me, but they won't suspect Peter_. The thought would haunt him forever, knowing that he delivered the Potters to Voldemort. In his mind, Sirius was to blame.

"Sirius, you need to calm down and think for a moment. I need to know what happened, I need to know why you killed half a dozen muggles and created Inferi. I need to know why you killed Peter", Dumbledore's words were blunt, but the emotion in his voice was palpable. He too had lost dear friends, but he was far too old to let himself wallow in grief and self pity. "NO! I AM NOT A MURDERER!" Sirius' scream echoed down the halls, startling the cowering junior minister. Dumbledore however only stood stoically, expressionless save for his eyes which swam in despair and hope. "I didn't kill the muggles", Sirius' voice was on the verge of breaking. Dumbledore admired the strength of the young wizard. "Sirius, when we arrived we found you, we found the Inferi, and we found the remains of Peter Pettigrew", Fudge interrupted Sirius with a surprising amount of animosity in his voice. "We found Peter's wand snapped, and we found you covered in blood. What's to stop us putting you in a cell in Azkaban for the rest of your natural life?" Fudge's lack of tolerance towards dark magic was well known throughout the ministry; and with good reason. During the war, Death Eaters under the command of Bellatrix Lestrange managed to capture a small contingent of ministry officials and aurors, Fudge among them. For weeks at a time they were tortured, abused and mangled. Only four had managed to survive the ordeal, though none were saved. Fudge fell victim to the Cruciatus Curse, as did Frank and Alice Longbottom. The Longbottoms were two of the most powerful aurors employed by the ministry, they had personally seen to the capture of over 20 Death Eaters including Rodolphus Lestrange; one of Voldemort's inner circles, his capture had enraged Bellatrix. To their credit, Frank and Alice managed to endure 12 days of torture before they broke under the curse. Fudge managed to escape with his mind intact, but the Longbottoms were reduced to a state that he could only describe as 'zombie-like'. The war had taken its toll on the Ministry, and Fudge was unwilling to allow any display of dark magic go unpunished.

"Sirius, we need to know the truth. Would you allow us to use Veritaserum on you? It may be the only way to reach the unaltered truth" Dumbledore ask with genuine concern for the young Black. Fudge blanched at the suggestion, it was evident to that he wanted Sirius sent away without a trial. His fear of the dark arts was so crippling that he would be willing to condemn a possibly innocent man. Dumbledore couldn't simply allow this to happen. James and Lily had been favorites of his for along time, and he had always liked Sirius, Remus and Peter during their stay at Hogwarts; despite the pranks, the four boys were well liked among the teaching staff and showed a great deal of potential. It was unfathomable to him that any of the four young Gryffindors would ever use magic this dark. "I'll let you use just about anything on me if it means I don't have to go to Azkaban". Sirius shuddered at the thought of being condemned to the magical prison. "NO! We can not allow this…this…MONSTER to remain free for any longer. He MUST be sent to Azkaban NOW!" Fudge wailed, desperate to put Sirius behind bars. "He slaughtered half a dozen innocent muggles! He desecrated the dead and created abominations! He ordered the Inferi to rip Peter Pettigrew limb from limb. He is too dangerous, he must be sent to Azkaban".

"I think… that Fudge has a point…" All three wizards turned to look at the source of the voice, and were appropriately shocked when Millicent Bagnold walked through into the room, wand held aloft in one had, a small vial of a clear liquid in held in the other. Fudge looked towards the Minister for Magic in relief and glee. The Minister had agreed with him, and Sirius would be sent straight to Azkaban. "Indeed his does Minister, but can we really justify sending Sirius to Azkaban without knowing all the facts?" Dumbledore argued, desperate to learn the truth behind the incident. "That's why she brought the Veritaserum", Sirius' cracked voice startled Fudge, but Millicent threw a smile in his direction. "You are knowledgeable Mr Black. I have little doubt that you are indeed a powerful wizard. But powerful enough to summon Inferi? We shall see". The Minister showed no fear as she approached Sirius and offered the vial to him. "I think you know the effects of this potion Mr Black, are you certain that you consent to this?" She was offering him a choice, out of pity perhaps. Pity on a man who had apparently lost everything and resorted to dark magic. Millicent wasn't a vengeful person, and she was well known in the wizarding world for her respectful treatment of suspected Death Eaters. Reaching up to pluck the small vial from her hands, Sirius swallowed the contents in one mouthful and failed to suppress a shudder. "I don't remember the tasting being this bad last time" he spoke in a monotonous voice, the potions effects were swift and effective. "Mr Black, would you please tell us of the events leading up to the death of Peter Pettigrew".

Under the effects of the truth serum, Sirius retold his story. "We decided to change secret keepers…we thought it would keep James and Lily safe. The Death Eaters knew of my friendship with James, but they would never suspect Peter". The plan had seemed foolproof. "Peter was secretly a Death Eater, and he gave Voldemort the location of Godric's Hollow. When I found out that James and Lily were dead, I went looking for Peter". In his mind, Sirius willed the people around him to believe him, and he was happy that Veritaserum was being used. It was incredibly hard to counter the effects of the potion, making it an extremely reliable method of extracting the truth. "I confronted him in a muggle street and we dueled for a brief moment before his curse took effect. I don't know what spell he used, but it caused an explosion that killed the muggles near by". In the back of his mind, Sirius felt pity towards the muggles. While he did not care for them personally, they had not deserved the fate that befell them. Being turned into an Inferi by a vengeful Death Eater would rate among the worst fates Sirius could imagine. "Mr Black, did you create the Inferi?" Millicent's graceful voice echoed pleasantly across the room as Fudge looked on.

"No…I did not. Peter created them". Sirius' monotone voice did little to show the hatred burning inside him. Creating Inferi was a hellish act; to deny someone the peace of death and force nature to bend to your will. "I didn't know how to kill them, so I apparated away from them, toward Peter. He didn't notice what I had done, and I used 'Sectumsempra' to cut off his wand hand". Dumbledore's eyes sparkled at the revelation, and his voice cut across Sirius', "Minister, I believe I know what happened. Controlling Inferi requires concentration and power. When Sirius disarmed Peter, he lost his control over them". Sirius nodded slowly, "My spell dismembered his hand, and the Inferi turned on him". Under the effects of the truth serum, Sirius' words were honest and truthfully, but Fudge was unwilling to accept his innocence. "Surely you don't believe him Minister! He is obviously a dark wizard, he must have found a way to circumvent the effects of the Veritaserum" Fudge shrieked. Dumbledore could only shake his head at the fearful junior minister. "Cornelius, I will ask you to remain composed. You represent the ministry and your current manner is more befitting a muggle", Millicent's words bringing a smirk to the face of Dumbledore. "Albus, you are perhaps more knowledgeable than most others. Is there a way to counter the effects of Veritaserum?" Racking his mind, Dumbledore thought of the possibilities, though very few of them seemed applicable to Sirius. "Unless he has managed to take an antidote within the last 10 minutes, it is highly unlikely that Mr Black would be able to ignore the effect of the potion." Dumbledore spoke truthfully; all the methods that he had thought of involved powerful use of Occlumancy, and being a highly accomplished Legilimens himself, he knew that Sirius did not posses the power necessary.

"Minister, you must not let Black fool you! He is a dark wizard and he MUST be sentenced to life in Azkaban. We must protect our world from dark magic", Fudge's voice strained with fear and loathing. He was becoming more and more unraveled, unwilling to believe in Sirius' innocence. "I have no intention of trusting a potion alone Cornelius, I will be entirely certain before my decision is made." Millicent spoke gently but with authority, and at once the stuttering junior minister fell into a reserved silence. Reaching into her robes, she procured a second wand; one that Sirius immediately recognized as his own. Placing the wand on a bedside table, the Minister aimed her own wand and spoke a soft incantation, "Prior Incantato". Luminous reflections emanated from Sirius' wand, glowing with a white radiance. The reflections slowly shifted colour from stark white to a crimson red, and then to a jet black, before the spell ended. "Mr Black, would you please tell us what the last three spells you cast were?" Dumbledore had guessed the spells used by Sirius from the results of the Reverse Spell Effect charm, and was thus unsurprised when Sirius spoke in a monotone voice. "The most recent spell I cast was 'Sectumsempra'. The one before that was an empowered Stunner. I'm not entirely sure what the black vapour that came from my wand was". Fudge leapt at the chance, "Minister its obvious that those black vapours were what created the Inferi!"

"No Fudge, I do not know what they were, but I DO know the incantation to create Inferi. The magical energy used in the spell glows with dark green, not jet black. Whatever the vapours were, they were not what created the Inferi", Dumbledore's expression remained calm and collected, but no one in the room could ignore the hint of anger in his voice. Dumbledore was growing tired of Fudge; the man seemed determined to create problems for the Ministry rather than solve them. "Minister, you've seen it for yourself. We all saw the spells that Sirius cast, and none of them were capable of creating the explosion that killed the muggles". Millicent's wand waved once in the air, and the bindings around Sirius dissolved. "Mr Black, while I can not condone this vigilante justice, you have committed no crime here and your actions resulted in a powerful Death Eater's demise. By my right as Minister for Magic, I pardon you." Sirius' expression was still being influenced by the truth serum, but in the back of his mind he was relieved that the truth had been revealed. He would be spared Azkaban.


End file.
